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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

The "Other" Herrera

Dilson Herrera is Buried Treasure's #16 prospect on our top 30 list and his prospect profile was recently completed. During the course of research on Dilson, I came across an old piece of known, but somewhat forgotten news. Here, I outlined the four international signings the Pirates had made up to that date. Since then, there has been a fifth signing, the other Herrera, Johan. By signing bonus, Herrera actually received the second lowest amount, but it's still a substantial bonus. For comparison, if Herrera, who hails from the Dominican Republic, has signed prior to the 2011 international free agent signing period, he would have received the second biggest amount for a non-Cuban defector in organizational history.
Johan Herrera's strong suit is his bat. In particular, Herrera's 6'1, 190 pound frame - solidly built for a 17 year-old - allows him to generate above-average raw power. It's unclear whether or not Herrera has the approach to tap into that raw power. In the future, Herrera's bat will most likely have to carry him. He signed as a third baseman, but his arm is simply average and might not play at the hot corner. The same can be said about his athleticism and reactions, which might necessitate a long-term move to a corner outfield spot or first base. Right now, Herrera is a long-shot lottery ticket. However, he's another solid addition to the farm system with real upside by Rene Gayo.